For The Love of The Cure
by Xantai
Summary: Mysia is a hotheaded, spunky smart ass. She enters this world with courage, and meets up with our familiar group of survivors. Daryl almost immediately notices her and their relationship begins to grow. But can he get around her captor, the officer that is determined to keep her in his watch until law comes back? M for language and violence. Read and Review! Daryl/OC
1. Prologue

Prologue

She was on the run when the outbreak took place. The authority getting ever so close to her whereabouts each passing day. Wherever she went, they were notified to keep an eye out for a woman matching her description. She was forced to change her appearance, she bleached her hair and dyed it to a dark red. Instead of her regular clothing, she stuck to a darker style. Tight bondage pants, and a black spaghetti strap with her many chains and rings, a choker with a skull was what she was wearing the day dead people came back to life. She had broken into a nearby store to get weapons when the very officer tracking her had spotted her.

"Hands in the air!" He yelled out, his gun focused on her. She sighed and did as she was told.

"You're really going to worry about catching me in a time like this?" She asked incredulously. "Don't you have family to go protect?"

"Nope." He replied. "I haven't had a family since I got out of college." He took out handcuffs and approached her slowly with his gun still trained on her.

"Officer, they're not worried about me anymore. Instead of bringing me in why don't we get out of here?" She tried reasoning.

"I don't know what the hell is going on but if they find out that I lost you after catching you, I'll be out of a job." He said while cuffing her.

"You _are_ out of a job!" She almost shouted. He shoved her in the back seat of the patrol car and ignored her kicks while he went to the drivers side. She huffed and rolled her sea blue eyes before shaking her head. When she was sure he was paying attention to the road, she reached down and grabbed a cuff key from her steel toe black combat boots. While she fidgeted with them behind her back she tried again to reason. "If we get to the station, and no one is there, would you consider getting the hell out of here?"

"After I find out what's going on." He smirked at her through the rear view mirror. Suddenly the radio beeped, one short, two long. Then a voice.

"Air strike over Atlanta activated. We'll drop the nukes in five minutes." Although static, they both heard clearly.

"We need to get out of here!" The woman panicked. The officer gave a curt nod and slammed on the breaks, spinning his car to face away from the city. As he peeled off, she got the cuffs off and fastened her seat belt.

"Ma'am, I'm not sure that was such a wise idea. You can get charged for un-cuffing yourself."

"Firstly, my name is Mysia, second, there is no more law. You see what's going on! I'm sure Atlanta isn't the only major city they're bombing. Things have changed. Take a look around, dude."

"Before I take a look around, I need to get us out of here. And my name is Steve."

"Nice to meet you, Steve." Mysia said sarcastically as she sat back in her seat. They had made it out of the city just in time as the air strike came in. Steve could see that the explosion clearly frightened Mysia, but when she noticed he was watching she scowled and all traces of fear disappeared. They parked on the highway, safe from the explosion, and Steve opened her door to let her out. She slowly exited and looked back at the city.

"Do you have a weapon so I can defend myself from those geeks?" She asked him, looking to him with her sad blue eyes. He shook his head and stared at her.

"You're wanted for murder, I can't trust you with a weapon."

"I killed a man who tortured and killed my only brother, Steve. We grew up in the streets. Wouldn't you do the same, had you been in my shoes?"

Steve backed her up against the car and gazed into her eyes. When she turned her head, unsure of what he was doing, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him. Little did he know, in that moment he was reading her through her eyes, she was doing the same. "He was the only man I attempted to kill." She whispered. Steve let her go and opened his trunk.

"You can take this." He said, handing her a crossbow and a quiver with bolts. "That way, if you so much as try and point it at me, my bullet will be faster."

"Fair enough." She grinned while taking the items. Steve placed a duffel bag over his shoulder, and a bowie knife into his belt. They set off on foot, walking carefully around abandoned cars. As they walked further, they saw groups of people watching the skies and the fires in town. Few were crying over those not found before getting out of the city. While they were making their way to the front line, where Steve was sure it was regulated by authority, a man harshly bumped into Mysia. She stood her ground and he nearly fell over.

"Watch where yer goin' woman!" He yelled. He only stood a foot away and his breath reeked of alcohol. Beside him was another man, seemingly sober, who was eying her crossbow and looking her head to toe.

"I'm watching, I realized you were slammed and I was wondering if I can take a shot." She told him casually. He looked at her and grinned. As he was handing her the bottle of Jack's, Steve roughly grabbed her arm and hauled her away.

"There ain't no law anymore officer." The man slurred as she was being pulled. She let him pull her a few good steps and yanked her arm out of his hand.

"Really, what's so wrong with taking one swig of a nice beverage. I'm well over the age for it, and I definitely need it." She said. He glared at her and waved her off.

"Go on then. You got your weapon, and I got other shit to do." He stomped off and continued to the front. Mysia smirked and walked back to the two men who now seemed to be arguing.

"Come on baby brother! You need a drink." The drunk said.

"I told ya Merle, one of us got ta be sober, now le's get goin before these dumb asses attract tha other ones." He replied, leading his brother away.

"Wait!" Mysia called, jogging after them. "I'd like to take that shot now."

Merle laughed and handed her the bottle. "See, even this li'l lady is willing to get drunk in a time like this."

She shook her head after taking a long drink. "A good buzz. I really don't want to be plastered."

"Well then yer just wastin the shit!" Merle said angrily grabbing the bottle. She laughed and beamed at his expression seeing that she hardly left him any left. His brother chuckled slightly.

"Would you guys mind if I tagged along?" She asked, getting serious. Merle and the other man stared at her, not quite believing her.

"Yea we mind." The younger brother said before they set out away from the highway. Mysia watched after them, unsure of why she was so disappointed. They seemed like such fun people.

"Hey miss." Hollered someone nearby. She looked to the sound of the source and found the man standing on top of an RV. "I couldn't help but overhear, you can tag along with us if you like." She nodded and smiled at the man.

"I'll take you up on that!" She hollered back up at him.

"Well, it looks like everyone is heading out." Steve said. "I don't even know what to do now."

"Take a break from the law officer." Mysia beamed, starting to feel the alcohol. "We got surviving to do."

"Let's go then." The old man announced. Mysia and Steve followed him into the RV.


	2. Chapter 1

**Okay readers! I have news for those of you who do not know... Fans are going to kill Daryl Dixon! There are crazy fans out there that say they will riot if the creator kills him off. He said it sounds like a dare. I am a little ashamed of them, why riot over a TV show? Don't tempt the guy, he'll do it... He really will... On another note, please review! If you write you should know that it inspires people when they get great reviews, flamers are welcome too you know! On to the next chapter!**

Chapter 1

1 months later

"Where you going Daryl?" Dale asked the redneck walking away.

"I'm going huntin ol' man. Someone's gotta feed ya'll." He grumbled, leaving the campsite and into the forest. Mysia watched him leave and glanced at their tent. Whenever his brother would pop his pills he took off. Sometimes it took a few days before he'd bring back a bunch of squirrels, and if they were lucky, a deer. Her stomach growled at the thought of fresh venison. She looked up at Dale and grinned.

"You ready?" He asked, with amusement in his voice. "If Daryl catches you tracking him, he might shoot you."

Mysia laughed. "He won't catch me, I've been practicing. I'm a ninja now." Dale laughed and waved her off, he would cover for her absence with the rest of the group. She stealthily made her way through the trees, taking care to stay a good forty feet away from the hunter. He turned a few times, causing her to hide behind a tree as he searched his surroundings. She soon grew tired of following him and inched her way closer, wanting to see if she could sneak up on him enough to startle him. She hated that he was fearless, and wanted to prove to him that every man fears something. When she got close enough, she jumped from the trees and grabbed him from behind. He turned and struck his foot out, forcing her to fall on her back. He sat on her belly with his crossbow aimed at her head. She started laughing hysterically from the adrenaline she had caused in herself. He dropped his crossbow and breathed out a long angry breath.

"Are ya stupid or something?" He said, holding himself on his knees breathing heavily.

"No." She said, still giggling. "I wanted to prove you can get scared, Daryl. Did I startle you?"

"The only thing I was 'fraid of was shootin you in the face." He huffed looking her dead in the eye. "Why weren't ya thinkin when you attacked me?" His voice had gotten softer with that question and he stood up, holding out his hand to help her stand. She took his hand and let him help her up.

"I was thinking. But I was thinking that you wouldn't shoot me." She said, grinning. He let go of her hand and picked up his crossbow, glaring at her.

"Ya need to be careful. Why ya followin me anyway?" He asked as they moved on.

"I was hoping to help you hunt. I brought my crossbow too." She showed him pointedly. "I want venison, we haven't had that in a while."

"Alrigh'." He spit at the ground and nodded. They took turns shooting squirrels and retrieving bolts. They kept their conversations light and in whispers, mostly focusing on the hunt.

"It's gettin dark." Daryl said. "There is a cabin up ahead, tha's where I stay when I'm gone for a few days huntin." Mysia nodded and silently followed him to the cabin. When they got there, the cabin door was wide open. Daryl crouched and held his hand out, Mysia knowing to stay silent. She followed closely behind as Daryl went on the porch, listening for any noise. When he got to the door he turned to face her, and motioned her to stay outside. She nodded and took watch towards the trees. Without any warning someone wrapped an arm around her middle, and she felt cold metal and pressure at the side of her head.

"Drop your weapon." Said a young voice. She dropped her crossbow loudly on the porch, hoping Daryl would hear it. "Looks like I hit jackpot. Workin freezer inside, and a woman. When I take you back to our group, we're going to have lots of fun with you." He smelled her hair and she whimpered.

"Drop yer gun or this bolt will be put through yer head." Said a second voice from behind the man. Mysia sighed in relief when she heard the gun drop. "Now le' her go." He growled. The man did, and Mysia grabbed the gun and her crossbow before she joined Daryl's side. He looked at her and she nodded, indicating she was okay. "Who else is here?"

"N-no one." He said.

"Turn around." Mysia said shakily. He did, and looked at her with great fear in his eyes. "How many people know you're here?"

"No one." He said shakily. His eyes convinced her that he was telling the truth, and she nodded at Daryl.

"Sit righ' there on that bench." Daryl said, pointing. The man did as he was told and glanced around the trees.

"What are we going to do now?" Mysia whispered.

"I'm thinkin about killin 'im. He threatened you, and they don't sound like they're good people." Daryl whispered back. Mysia placed her hands on her hips and sighed. She agreed with him, and although she had killed a man before, she disagreed taking matters into ones own hand. Before they had a chance to decide, the man stood quickly with a knife in hand and grabbed her again, bring the blade to her throat. He dug the knife in her neck and Daryl shot a bolt in his head. His dead body fell against her, both of them falling over. Daryl reached out and grabbed her away before his body completely hit the ground. She held onto him breathing heavy and held a hand to her neck. "Can you breath righ'?" He asked, sinking to the floor boards with her so he could get a good look at her neck. She nodded a little and tears fell from her eyes. He inspected the cut on her neck and sighed. "He got ya good. Ya migh' need stitches, there's a first aid kit inside." He sat her on the bench and handed her a rag. "Hold this to yer neck while I drag his body a ways out so he don't attract walkers here."

After he dragged the body a good distance away, he kicked dirt over the small trail of blood on his way back to the cabin. When he got to her he helped her shaky body up and into the cabin, sitting her down on the sofa inside. She watched as he filled a bowl of water and grabbed the first aid kit with a fresh rag. She leaned back on the couch and held her head up while he cleaned the cut with the cold water. He got butterfly bandages from the kit and applied them slowly to her neck. She winced a few times and he mumbled sorry as he squeezed her wound together to bandage it.

"You can sleep in the master bedroom, that bed is more comfortable. I'll be in this room if ya need anythin." He said after he finished. She nodded and watched him go into the room and kept the door open a crack. She glanced around the dark cabin and thought she heard a noise outside. Shrugging it off she went into the master bedroom and fell asleep. A few hours later she woke to loud groaning outside her window. She quickly and quietly ducked out of the room and into Daryl's. He was leaving his room at the same time she entered and they bumped into each other and grabbed a hold of one another to prevent from falling. He held onto her elbows and led her back into his room and shut the door quietly. They stayed low on the ground and away from the blanket covered windows so her blood wouldn't attract their attention.

"Is it a herd?" She whispered. He nodded. They sat on the ground in silence, Mysia with a death grip on Daryl's arm. When his arm began to hurt he took her hands in his and they gazed at each other. She loosened her grip and fell into his chest, awkwardly holding his midsection.

"They don' know we're here." He assured her as he wrapped his arms around her. "Jus' long as we stay quiet we'll be safe." She nodded against him and they waited. When the herd was gone, he led her to his bed and they climbed in, holding each other until sunrise. When Mysia awoke, Daryl was already up and gathering the squirels from the freezer. "Yer not gonna like me for a minute, I have to put alcohol on that cut so it don' get infected."

"Okay." Mysia said meekly before sitting down on the sofa. Daryl grabbed the rubbing alcohol and dabbed it on a rag before applying it to her neck. She bit back a sound of pain and grasped the edge of her seat. When finished, they stood and left. During their walk, Mysia grabbed his hand, stopping him in his tracks. "Sssh" She pointed ahead of them and he crouched along with her when he saw what she was pointing at.

"Ya up for the hunt?" He asked her quietly. She nodded and smirked before they approached slowly. The deer popped his head up and stared at them, they stilled and stared back. Daryl aimed for the deer and motioned Mysia to do the same. They both shot at the buck and it ran. "How the hell we both miss takin it down?" He asked quickly loading the crossbow and taking another shot. "Damnit!" Daryl yelled, shooting a squirrel and bringing it down from a nearby tree. "I'm gonna have the pleasure of eatin you." He told it as he hooked it with the others.

"I should go hunting with you more often." Mysia said, laughing. "Though I could do without the creepy psycho pervert. And the herd of walkers."

"Ready to learn how to track?" He asked. She nodded eagerly and followed him. Listening to the ways to track the deer that they had just found.

"It's going towards our camp." She said, following the broken branches, Daryl right behind her.

"Ya sure catch on quick." Daryl commented, earning a wide smile from her. They continued to track the buck in silence, until they heard yelling.

"Is that-" Mysia asked before taking off. Daryl was close behind her as they broke out from the tree line. When they got into the clearing they were surprised to see men pointing pitch forks and shovels at them. And of course Shane with the shotgun.

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl said, seeing the deer. "That's my deer!" Mysia watched as he changed completely in front of her. Kicking the walkers headless body and copping an attitude with whomever got in his way. Shane glanced at Daryl, then her, realizing they had just come out of the forest together.

"Where the hell you been?" He asked her. Steve had his arms crossed, waiting for an answer as well.

"You didn't even know I was gone." Mysia laughed. "I was learning to hunt. Got some squirrels. Almost a deer." She cocked her head in the animals direction. "Now I get to skin them." Steve shook his head that she almost seemed too excited for that part of her training. She followed him to the camp and nodded at the new man standing there.

"Merle! Got us some squirrel." Daryl said. Shane stopped him and told him that Merle was left in Atlanta, handcuffed to the roof. When he went after the new guy with a knife, Shane put him in a choke hold and held him while they spoke to him more on the matter. Mysia ran to his side and pushed Shane away after he released the hold. But when she tried helping him, Daryl pushed her away. Slightly, but he got his message across. When they figured a plan to go to retrieve Merle, Mysia stood up and joined the small group.

"Ya ain't goin." Daryl told her, his tone softer than when he was talking to the men.

"And why the hell not?" She asked, getting in his face. "Merle is my friend. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't go along and help him?"

"Yer injured." He said. before turning away. She scowled at him, knowing he said it loud enough for the top shots Shane and Steve to hear. Knowing that his intention was to get the "bosses" attention on preventing her to go anywhere for the same reason.

"Yeah, I was gonna ask you, what the hell happened to your neck?" Shane piped up, forcing her to face him.

"We had a run in with a guy who decided to cut me." She explained briefly. "But Daryl bandaged it and now I'm good to go." She began to walk to the van and Shane sidestepped her, standing in her way.

"There is no way I'm going to let you go out there with that injury." Steve said. She scowled at Daryl, who gave her a curt nod, and stomped away from the men. Instead, she decided to join Dale at the RV and look under the hood. "You know, we can just get any part from any car that you need, and are going to need."

"You know about cars?" Dale asked.

"Of course I do." Mysia smirked at him. "I lived on the streets, knowing about cars gets you payed."

"Hey Mysia!" Andrea called. "Wanna help us with laundry?"

"Sure!" She called back.. "Now I'm going to go do what women do best." Earning a laugh from Dale. She laughed too and grabbed the basket that Andrea held out for her. They sat in silence for a while washing the laundry, then started to talk about the things they missed about life before the outbreak. Most things consisted of electricity, or even batteries. Ed, of course, broke up the laughs they were sharing with each other, forcing them to work in silence. However, Andrea was getting tired of his controlling behavior towards women and decided to take a stand. As she argued, Mysia noticed Carol start to tremor. She placed her hand on Andrea's shoulder and shook her head.

"No!" Andrea shrugged her hand off. "I'm done sitting back and watching." Carol got in between and tried to keep peace between them, until Ed backhanded her. Everyone was involved, Amy pulling Carol back, Mysia pulling Andrea back. Andrea was throwing punches at him and he smacked her hands away, eventually smacking Mysia, leaving a red mark above her eyebrow. Before she had any time to react, Shane hauled Ed off and punched him repeatedly in the face. When he was done, he stomped off back to camp. Mysia left Carol crying over her husband and went to the top of the RV with Dale.

"What the hell happened to your eye?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"Ed. I was trying to get Andrea off him before he hurt her."

"Why was Andrea attacking him?" Steve asked, inspecting her eye.

"He hit Carol. I don't agree with men hitting women, but Carol needs to toughen up and leave him. She needs to think about her and her daughter's safety." Mysia spat out. She shoved the ex cop away from her as he tried to tenderly touch her already black eye. He gave her a sad smile before walking off.

"Some women can't take it that far, Mysia. They believe things will turn out for the best." Dale explained. Then he nodded towards Steve's retreating form. "I think he has a thing for you."

"I don't have any feelings for him." She told him silently. "Daryl is the one I'm looking at. And I got a feeling that the feeling is mutual." She joined him on the top of the RV and looked through her binoculars, watching for walkers.

"What the hell is he doing?" Dale asked, looking through his binoculars to a hill in front of them.

Mysia looked to see what he was talking about. She saw Jim digging. "Let's go see." She said.

The two approached him to see that he had dug many holes in the ground, and he was still maniacally digging even after Dale offered him water. He ignored their presence and continued to dig. Later, they brought Steve and Shane to Jim, worried for his well being. Jim only yelled at Shane for sticking his noe in another man's business. When they had him tied to a tree, Dale asked why he was digging the holes.

"I had a reason, don't remember now." Jim said. "It was a dream that I had though." He spoke to Lori and Carl as if he knew more than he let on. Mysia wondered if they were dreams, or a force of something else. She took her wondering mind towards cleaning the fish for eating that Andrea and Amy had caught.

~~~Later~~~

Everyone sat at the campfire, eating fish and teasing Dale about his watch. After Amy went to the RV, Mysia stood from her seat and put her empty plate on the table. She saw a walker right before Amy's scream, and she ran to the campsite, taking the gun Shane handed her. The women and children were screaming while Mysia and the men shot the walkers. Then next thing they knew, Rick, Daryl, T-Dog, and Glen were back, each one shooting at the geeks. Daryl made his way to Mysia and she nodded to him, shooting every walker in sight. Her aim had gotten better, he noticed, each one went down with a bullet in it's brain. When all was still, they realized that Amy had been bit. Andrea was talking to her, telling her to hold on. Ed had also been attacked to death, no loss there. Mysia couldn't understand how Carol was upset. Through out the night she helped the men put holes in the bodies brains and toss them into the fire. Andrea stayed with her sister through out the night, protecting Amy's body.

When Glenn got upset about Daryl bringing a body to the fire, Mysia stepped in. "He's right, ours deserve to be buried."

"Ya all left my brother for dead!" Daryl yelled. "Ya'll had this comin!" Mysia ran after him and slowed her step until she was behind him. "Yer gettin sloppy. I hear ya."

"I wasn't trying to be silent." Mysia said. "I just don't want you to snap at me when I try to be here for you." Daryl turned, raising his eyebrow at her. Then he noticed the bruise by her eye.

"Wha' happened?" He asked, his tone much softer as he stroked her eyebrow.

"Ed." Mysia shrugged. "It was an accident, I think he was aiming for Andrea."

"Acciden' my ass." He mumbled. "I can't leave you anywhere for five minutes can I?" Before Mysia could answer, one of the women shouted that Jim had been bitten by a walker. Daryl gave her a pointed look before focusing his attention on the matter at hand. After the nice little Jim has to die now conversation, and Daryl got lectured by the sheriff and his deputy, he stalked back to work. Mysia shook her head before joining. All the while, Steve watched silently as he noticed that Mysia and the redneck had gotten closer.

They used Daryl's truck to bring the bodies to the hill where Jim dug the holes at. "I just don't get why we don' burn these bodies. Isn't that what we agreed to do?" Daryl asked. "Jus' cause china man has a problem with it. People need to know who's in charge here."

"No one is in charge." Rick corrected him.

"People mourn, and we bury our dead." Lori told Daryl.

When they packed up, they decided to go to the CDC for a cure for Jim, and any possible answers they can get. Everyone took their time saying good byes as they parted ways from a family in the group. "Come on My." Daryl hollered from the truck. She gave the family one last hug before running to the truck, jumping in. They drove for a good few miles before the RV started to smoke under the hood. After they parked on the side of the road and looked under the hood, news about Jim had worsened. Rick went in to speak to him while the others searched for a hose for the RV. After taking Jim to a tree and saying their good byes, they set out again.

When they go to the CDC they were not surprised seeing a mass amount of bodies. Upon seeing that the door would not open, they panicked. As they were arguing, walkers made their way to them. Everyone telling Rick it was a bad idea to go to the CDC, but he was still hopeful that there were people alive in the building. As they finally dragged Rick away from the door, it opened, sending a bright light at them.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

They entered the CDC, and found a man with a shotgun making sure that nobody was infected. He led them to an elevator, telling them once the door was closed it stayed closed. When they got underground he led them to a room where he had Vi turn on the lights. He drew blood from each of them, the women all weak in the knees, receiving help from one another. Mysia sat against the wall, her face paler than the norm.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Jenner asked.

"We haven't eaten." Jacqui said as she helped Andrea.

"Why didn't you say so earlier? I got food, and wine." He answered, beaming at the groups excitement. Before long, they were drinking wine, feasting, and laughing, having a great time until Shane asked Jenner why he was the last doctor in the building.

"Dude you're such a buzz kill." Glenn said. Jenner called it a close and showed them where the rooms that they'd be staying was located.

"Go easy on the hot water." Jenner said before leaving them.

"Did he say hot water?" Glenn asked excitedly. They split up, using the showers and rejoicing in a small piece of normality.

Mysia pulled on black jeans and a dark blue tank top, then exited the stall drying her hair with the towel. She bumped into someone in the hall, being as buzzed as she was, and looked up to see Shane. "Sorry." She mumbled, trying to walk around him.

"Don't be sorry." He slurred while looking her up and down. "You're not all covered in metal now, you look prettier without it."

She scowled and tried to side step him clumsily. "Shane you're in my way." Her voice shook slightly as she saw raw hunger in his eyes.

"Where you going?" Shane asked, holding his arm out blocking her path.

"She's comin' with me." Daryl said, his voice behind Shane. Mysia peeked over and gave him a grateful look while Shane stepped aside, letting her through. She reached out and staggered slightly to Daryl's side, allowing him to grab her waist to steady her. "Yer such a ligh' weight." He told her softly before sending Shane a threatening glare and leading her away. When they entered his room he shut the door, Mysia sat on the edge of the bed and holding her head.

"Why am I here?" She groaned out in pain.

"'Cause I don' trust 'em. You can stay the nigh' here." Daryl said. He looked at her and grinned. "Already gettin a hangover?"

"No." She denied stubbornly. She lay down on the soft bedding and felt the bed move as Daryl joined her. She turned to face him and smelled the waft of fragrance in his direction. "You sure clean up nice." She mumbled. Daryl grinned and held her close as she fell asleep. He wondered how this particular woman had so easily weaseled her way into his arms. He wasn't the type to be so affectionate, but she made it feel so natural that he couldn't hold back.

~~~Next day~~~

Daryl woke the next morning to a light knock on the door. When he opened it, he found Carol. "Breakfast is ready." She said softly. Daryl nodded and shut the door, then he approached the bed and moved Mysia's hair out of her face. She stirred and looked at him. She squinted her eyes shut and turned her face into the pillow.

"Why." She said, muffled.

"Come on, breakfast will help you feel better. An' lotsa water." He said as he helped her up. He led her to the dining room as she covered her eyes from the light, relieved to see the lights dim in the room full of people. As they ate, they had a good time making fun of Glenn who was miserable. Steve stabbed at his food, angry that his crush was sleeping with a no good redneck. He couldn't understand, when he was the one who took her from harm. He was the one who protected her until the Dixon brothers arrived.

After breakfast, Jenner showed the group a test subject, the brain of a human while she was dying. She was bitten, infected, and volunteered to help with the study, and she was Jenner's wife. The first event showed how the infection invaded the brain, shutting everything down. The second event was the resurrection of the body. Instead of blue activity like the regular brain activity, the infection glowed red, restarting the brain stem. He powered down the machines and work stations after the patient had been shot in the brain. Within that show of video, they learned that Jenner really had no idea what the virus was, where it came from, or even how to cure it.

"Man I'ma get shit faced drunk, again." Daryl said walking away.

"I'm with you there." Mysia agreed, following him.

When they reached his room Mysia laid back on his bed and stretched. Daryl watched, raising his eyebrow. "Tha' is still my bed." He said.

"I know, but it's comfy." She answered, sitting up to take a drink of the rum he handed her. He took a seat next to her and shook his head.

"This world is all fucked up." He said, taking a swig of the bottle as she handed it back.

"I second that motion." She answered. She held the back of his neck and kissed him, he returned it hungrily. When he leaned over her on the bed, the lights went out.

"Wha' the hell?" Asked Daryl. They left the bed and went to the hall, seeing Jenner walk through the hall. "Wha' happened?"

"The generators are done." The doctor answered, "And so are we."

"Wait." Mysia asked as she went after him. "What does that mean?"

When they arrived at the computer room, Jenner had Vi close the doors. Daryl attacked him with the bottle, but Shane stopped him.

"What exactly is going to happen?" Rick asked.

"Vi." Jenner said. The computer explained that there would be an explosion, eliminating the oxygen.

"Sets the air on fire, no pain." Jenner added. Daryl hacked at the door with Shane, both wielding a hatchet. Mysia watched them, listening to Jenner explaining to Andrea that dying that way would be better for them.

"Oh screw your scientific preaching. I choose to live, and you won't be in charge of that." Mysia spat, before walking away. Daryl, however, didn't agree with him to the point that he charged the doctor with an axe. Mysia threw herself at his chest while Rick and Shane helped stop him. "He could open the door for us." she whispered. "We can't kill him." Daryl gazed down at her, then nodded before backing off. After Shane tried to shoot Jenner, Rick was the one that had reasoned with him to get the door open. They ran to the surface, to the glass walls leading them outside. Shane and Daryl hacked at the glass.

"It's built to withstand this." Mysia mumbled.

"Rick! I have something that will help." Carol said, handing him a grenade. Daryl held Mysia away from the explosion as the glass shattered. They ran out of the building, taking down walkers on their way to the vehicles. Daryl covered Mysia with his body in the truck cab as the decontamination commenced. The explosion was loud, shaking the streets around them. They sat up and viewed the fire.

"Andrea and Dale?" Mysia asked, tears in her eyes.

"Righ' there." Daryl pointed to the sandbags where the two were getting up and going to the RV. She sighed in relief. Andrea was a tough woman to get along with, but she was still alright in Mysia's books. And she completely adored Dale, he was like a father to them. Knowing that they were safe made everything okay again, as they were driving away from the ruins of the CDC.


	4. Chapter 3

**Thank you readers for viewing! And thank you very much Onyxus for reviewing! I never had a criminal OC, and figured to do something different. I actually think it's because I'm surrounded by felony probationers that I used a criminal character. No murders in their charges though. They just don't stop getting in trouble. On to the story!**

**Inspired by Imagine Dragons-Radioactive and Hollywood Undead-We Are**

Chapter 3

"We're going to Fort Benning then?" Mysia asked Daryl as they gathered gas out of his truck.

"Yeah. Ya ever ride on the back of a motorcycle before?" He asked.

"Once or twice." She answered, putting her bags in the RV.

"She's not going to ride with you." Steve said, stepping forward. He had his hands on his hips, a familiar pose with the PD.

"Why not?" Mysia asked.

"Because it's my job to keep an eye on you. You're still wanted with the law." Steve pointed out.

"When ya gonna give it up, man?" Daryl asked, getting in his face. "We ain't takin' off, and even if we were there is no law. Le' her be." Steve backed off, shaking his head as he loaded into the RV. Mysia joined the redneck on his motorcycle, holding his waist as they led the cars down the highway. After a few hours of driving, they came upon a road block of abandoned cars. Daryl drove around motioned them to follow. They weaved around the upturned and empty cars, Mysia tightened her grip as they passed cars with dead people. Before they got into the clear, the RV popped and began to smoke. While they were talking and raiding the cars, Lori spoke up.

"This is a graveyard, I don't know how I feel about this."

"Lori, with all due respect to these people, they're dead. They won't have any use for these things anymore. To them it's all trivial objects, to us, they are a necessity." Mysia said, taking her hands. Lori nodded and walked with her to look around. As they were pillaging the cars, Mysia found a briefcase full of the dark clothing that she had grown to love. "Jackpot." She rushed into the RV, dying for a fresh change of clothes. She nodded to Andrea, who was taking her gun apart, before going into the bathroom. Just as she slipped on her new black tank with spikes on the seams, Andrea burst inside.

"Sorry." She said as she closed the door.

"No I was just finishing up. You going to let me out?" Mysia asked. Andrea shook her head and put her finger to her lips. They heard a walker enter the RV and they both sank to sit, Andrea sat on the toilet and Mysia squeezed under the sink. She rolled her eyes when Andrea dropped her gun, making a noise and catching the walker's attention. Andrea screamed as it burst through the door. Mysia took out her bowie knife from the strap on her leg and stabbed it through the eye. She left the frightened blonde, and the RV. "What the hell was that?" She asked Lori, who was holding Carol.

"A horde of walkers." Lori answered.

"My baby!" Carol cried out, trying to get out of Lori's arms.

"It's okay." Lori comforted. "Rick went to get her. He'll bring her back."

"You okay?" Steve asked as he got to the girls.

"We're fine." Mysia answered, watching as Daryl helped T-Dog to the RV. The hunter sent her a nod, which she returned. Everyone was clearly shaken by the herd that had passed, grateful that no one was eaten, but worried about the little girl and the cop that went after her.

"Rick's back." Mysia said, as Lori was still comforting Carol.

"Sophia?" The mother wailed out, not seeing her.

"I led the walkers away from her, I was hoping she came back here like I told her." Rick said, beginning to panic. Shane, Daryl, Glenn, and Mysia accompanied him to the small body of water that he had left her. "I left her right here, told her to keep the sun on her left shoulder and she'd get back to the highway."

"All that adrenaline, she probably doesn't know the difference between left and right." Shane said, shaking his head.

"I showed her my left shoulder as I told her, she nodded like she understood."

"Well she was scared, she probably forgot."

"She got out righ' here." Daryl said, pointing out her tracks. "Looks like she went towards the highway, jus' like you told her to." He gave Shane a pointed look. "But she veered off, here."

"Was it a walker that made her get off course?" Glenn asked.

"No, their footsteps drag, her's are the only ones." He answered.

"We should get back to the highway." Shane said.

"You guys go ahead, we'll keep tracking, see where she went." Rick answered. Shane and Glenn went back, leaving the other three to search for the child.

"I wonder why she wandered off." Mysia said. Daryl put his arm out, stopping her, and catching Rick's attention. He lifted his finger to his lips and pointed at a nearby walker. They ducked, and Mysia stayed put while the men took care of it. Rick used himself as a distraction while Daryl loaded his crossbow. He whistled lowly, and shot the walker when it turned to him. They all approached it, each with the same question in their minds.

"You think it got her?" Rick asked, voicing their thoughts.

"Only one way to find out." Daryl shrugged. "We gotta see what it ate."

"We're going to dissect a walker?" Mysia asked, one eyebrow raised.

"You don' have to, if you got a weak stomach." Daryl smirked. She scoffed and watched as Rick tried to cut through the walker. "Here le' me." Daryl said, pulling out his bowie knife. Mysia and Rick watched as he cut into the walker, the tearing noise was followed by the worst smell that she had ever smelled. She gagged and turned her head, but refused to back away from it. Daryl focused on his work, a scowl written on his face. When he finished cutting it, he pulled out the stomach and placed it next to the body. The men worked together with their gloved hands, searching for remains. "It definitely had a meal." Daryl said before pulling out the contents of it's stomach. They sifted through it, Daryl sighed. "looks like he got himself a beaver." He said.

"Her tracks are getting hard to see." Daryl said as they continued to follow her trail.

"Let's go back." Rick sighed. When they returned, Rick could only shake his head to the mother, not able to find the words to give her. She sobbed while Lori stayed by her. When the woman looked to her, she just shook her head and walked away, she had no idea how to comfort a woman worried over her child. She didn't know how to not yell at the woman for not going after her in the first place. She was disgusted with her.

Rick gathered everyone up to go search before they ran out of sunlight, all with hopes to find her. Andrea and Dale argued over her gun. Dale wanted to keep it out of her hands because he was afraid that she would kill herself. Everyone then set out but Dale, who stayed with T-Dog, who had his arm cut in the panic. Mysia walked silently, listening to the three former officers argue ahead of them.

"Do all the officers that survived have this power trip?" Mysia asked Daryl, causing him to grin. They found a tent, the men holding their hands out to keep the women in the brush as they went to investigate it.

"Carol, if she's in there, she'll respond to your voice. Carol nodded and stepped forward. Daryl unzipped the tent and had his weapon ready before giving Carol the go ahead signal.

"Sophia? Sophia sweetie? It's mommy, I'm here." Carol called out timidly. When there was no reply, Daryl went in the tent cautiously. Rick and Shane followed behind. "Is she?" Carol started when they exited.

"No." Just someone that took it upon us to 'opt it out'. Is that what you called it?" He asked, looking at Andrea. She only looked away in embarrassment. As they walked they heard church bells, and ran as fast as they could to the sound. Each of them hoping that it was Sophia ringing them. When they got to the church, the bells had stopped. They entered, seeing walkers with their heads bowed, sitting on the benches. Mysia lowered her crossbow, shocked as the others ran in and killed them. A walker with a veil over her face saw Mysia, and went after her. She only backed up and tried to find it's eyes, wondering if it was praying when they walked in. Daryl saw the walker closing in on her and he took his knife, knowing that he didn't have enough time to load his crossbow, and stabbed it through the top of it's head.

"Git outta here!" Daryl yelled at her. She snapped out of her trance and ran out of the church. When she got outside she dropped her crossbow and sat on the ground with it. The others looked at her, confused. Daryl stormed out of the church and grabbed her roughly by the arm, allowing her to pick up her weapon before dragging her away from the others. Steve saw and stormed to them, angry at what he was seeing.

"Let go of her arm." Steve said with a threatening tone.

"I'm fine Steve." Mysia said. "He just wants to talk to me, he's not hurting me."

"Dragging you away isn't something that's okay by me." Steve growled out.

"What the hell was that?" Daryl asked her, not caring that Steve was hearing. "I know you can kill walkers why the hell didn't you kill that one?"

"I froze up." Mysia whispered, turning her attention to him.

"Why?" He asked, pacing. "It almost had you!"

"Because I couldn't ignore that it looked like they were praying." Mysia answered. "If they were, then wouldn't it be wrong for us to kill them? What if the person is in there?"

"Ya heard what Jenner said, once the person dies, it ain't them no more."

"Jenner is a scientist, that believes a persons being is in their mind. He doesn't believe we have souls." She argued, her voice becoming shaky. Daryl pulled her into his chest and held her. Steve shook his head and stomped off.

"If the person is in there, it don' matter. Their only drive is to eat. They don' care who they're hurtin'. Ya need ta understand that." He told her gently. She nodded.

"I won't freeze up again." She said.

"I don't know if I could trust yer word."

"I promise." She assured him, looking him in the eyes. He kissed her softly, unable to ignore the temptation. She grinned against his lips. "So you're not mad anymore?" she asked when he pulled away.

"Nah, I'm still pissed." He answered, grinning back at her.

They joined the group, ignoring the angry looks Steve was shooting at them. Rick planned for the officers to go one way, and the others go the other way led by Daryl.

"Wait ya splittin' us up? Are ya sure?" Daryl asked. Rick nodded. Carl went with the men, while the others went to search. After Lori yelled at the women for acting foolish, they heard a gunshot.


	5. Chapter 4

**Onyxus! Thank you for being my loyal reviewer! And the rest of you! Thank you for being my loyal readers. When I read my work it seems a little slow, yawn, and badly written. Because I know that I can do better! However I need my muse to help me out there, so bear with me peeps! I am very excited about the plot that I do have in future chapters. And in case any of you were wondering how to pronouce Mysia's name, the sia is the same sound as in Anastasia, and My, is your average my. Mysia! Here is the next chapter!**

Chapter 4

Lori paused while they were walking. "Still worried about it?" Andrea asked.

"There was a gunshot." She said.

"We all heard it." Daryl said.

"But why? Why one gunshot?"

"Maybe they took down a walker."

"Don't patronize me. If it was one walker they wouldn't have wasted a bullet to draw more walkers."

"What do we do?" Andrea asked.

"Same thing we're doing." Daryl said. "We're gonna keep hackin up these vines, lookin for Sophia."

Mysia continued to lead the way while Andrea and Carol stayed behind, talking. Daryl walked to see what was holding them up. They paused once more hearing Daryl's voice. "That's jus' gonna waste your time. All that hopin and prayin' ain't gonna help nothin. We are gonna find that li'l girl. Am I the only one with zen around here? Jesus Christ." He swore. Lori and Mysia shared a grin. They stopped, seeing it was getting close to dark.

"Let's head back." Lori said.

"Pick it up again tomorrow?" Carol suggested. They nodded in agreement and turned to go back to the highway.

"How much farther?" Asked Andrea.

"A few hundred yards." Answered Daryl.

The next thing they knew, Andrea was screaming from behind them some paces. When they ran to her aid, a woman on a horse came and knocked the walker off her with a bat. "Lori? Lori Grimes?" She called. Lori stepped forward, everyone confused. "Rick sent me, Carl's been shot." She said.

When Lori got on the horse, Daryl protested. "Wait ya can' jus' get on the back of a horse with a stranger." He said. The woman ignored him and shouted directions to get to her farm before rushing away.

"It's okay Daryl, she knew them all by name." Mysia said. He just shook his head and led them to the highway.

When they got to there, they explained what happened to Dale. Carol panicked when they spoke of leaving to go to the farm.

"We can't just leave." She cried. "What if she comes back? She'll think we left her!"

"That would be awful." Andrea piped up.

"We can send a few of us, then tomorrow leave her a note an' some supplies before we set out to the farm." Daryl said.

"Well T-Dog needs help, his wound is infected. If we don't get antibiotics soon, he can die." Dale pointed out. Daryl went to his brother's motorcycle and grabbed a bag of pills. He then brought it to the hood of the car and listed the drugs as he unloaded the bag.

"My brother got the clap on occasion." Daryl said before tossing the pills to Dale. He gave T-Dog a dose and handed the bottles to Mysia. While the men prepared to leave, Daryl pulled Mysia aside. "Try not to let him take more than wha's needed of those pills. They are my brother's, he'd kill me if he found out." Daryl said.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he won't take them all." Mysia said with a smile.

"My." Daryl said as she turned to walk away. When she turned to face him he pulled her in for a kiss. "Be careful." He said quietly.

"You too." She said before getting into the car.

When they arrived at the farm, the woman that took Lori was sitting out on the porch. After confirming that T-Dog wasn't bitten, she let them in the house and introduced everyone. Each of them filed in to check on the concerned parents, and Carl. Mysia had to keep from crying seeing the unconscious boy and the hollow looks on his parents' faces.

"Come on." Patricia said. "Let's get that arm stitched up." When they got to the dining room, Steve was already there.

"Where's the redneck?" He asked her.

"He stayed behind." She answered coldly.

Maggie held T-Dog's arm while Patricia sewed the gash. "Your friend's clap was the best thing that happened to you." She said, keeping her eyes on her work.

"Right now, I'm trying real hard not to think about that." T-Dog said, causing Mysia and Glenn to stifle their laughs. Glenn excused himself and went outside. Mysia took over holding T-Dogs arm while Maggie joined him.

"So Shane went with, Otis, was it?" Mysia asked, trying to kill the silence.

"Yes." Patricia answered. "Otis is a good man, he didn't mean to shoot that boy."

"I have no doubt about that." Mysia said, releasing the man's arm. She looked out the window, a bad feeling overcoming her. She had no doubt that the man shooting Carl was an accident. It was the fact that Shane went along with him that worried her. Shane was a very protective, self centered man. She noticed the change in his attitude since Rick joined their group. He wasn't happy about losing Lori and Carl.

~~~Later~~~

Just before Hershel started the operation on Carl, they heard the roar of the truck. Everyone but Patricia went out to greet them. "Where's Otis?" Hershel asked.

"He didn't make it." Shane said. "He- he told me to go, to get back to 'that boy'. That he needed me, and- and he'll hold them off. But when I looked back, he- he." Shane stopped, his voice trembling.

"Nobody tell Patricia, I need her for this surgery." Hershel demanded. Maggie nodded, tears flowing down her face. Hershel, Rick, Lori, and Shane rushed into the house. Mysia did not miss the bald spot on Shane's head, and that was evidence enough to her that there was fowl play between the men. Steve held Mysia's elbow as the rest of the group went inside.

"What?" She asked, clearly annoyed.

"You saw the missing patch of hair." He said, letting go of her elbow. She stared at him. "I know you Mysia, you'll confront him. I know that I haven't been a very nice guy, but I do care about your safety. If you confront that man, he might kill you."

"So what do I do? Sit back and ignore the feeling that he may have already killed an innocent man out there?"

"We don't even know if he was innocent." Steve said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Not everyone is twisted in this world, Steve." Mysia said. "They all seem like really good people. I don't see it. Shane's the one who's back, and missing hair."

"Whether or not it was Shane's doing, it's still not safe to confront him with this."

"If I decide to confront him, then it's my decision, Steve. Not yours."

While they operated, Maggie was showing Glenn and Mysia photos of her stepmother and step brother. "Maggie, was Otis ever the type to do anything he thought necessary to get away from the walkers?" Mysia asked. Glenn and Maggie both snapped their heads in her direction.

"I've known Otis my whole life." She answered firmly. "He would rather die then to save himself. Why do you ask?"

Mysia shrugged. "Just curious." Glenn shot her a look of question before following Maggie down the hall.

After the surgery, Rick and Hershel told Patricia about Otis, and she collapsed in sorrow. Mysia watched her mourn with sympathy, and glared at Shane who was avoiding eye contact with anyone.

"The bathroom is down the hall, and you can change into these." Maggie told him as she handed him the clothes. "They're not gonna fit right, they were Otis'." She then went to comfort Patricia. Shane glanced at Mysia, who raised her eyebrow and glanced at his head before going outside for fresh air.

"What was that all about?" Glenn asked, as he followed her outside.

"What?"

"You know what. The question about Otis? What was that?"

"Glenn, you're terrible at keeping secrets. You break under pressure, and this will give you a lot of pressure."

"Oh God, then I really don't want to know."

"No you don't." Steve piped up. The two jumped and turned to see him sitting, barely around the corner.

"Shit Steve! You scared the hell out of us!" Mysia said.

"I'm not going to ask you to tell me." Glenn said. "I hate it when people tell me secrets."

Mysia laughed, "I avoid telling you any of my secrets, I noticed that if it's big enough you blurt it out to whoever is standing in earshot when it gets to you enough."

"Remember when Amy told him her secret?" Steve asked, grinning. Mysia laughed aloud, unable to contain herself.

"That isn't funny!" Glenn said. "She almost killed me!"

"She didn't even touch you, what are you talking about?" Mysia asked.

"Haven't you heard looks can kill?" Glenn said, causing another fit of laughter. Maggie came out and broke up their giggle fest, announcing that Carl's surgery was a success and that he was in stable conditions. She showed them the extra rooms, where they could sleep for the night. Hershel made it clear that it was only for the night, and while they stayed, they were to camp outside the house. He didn't want them to get too comfortable.


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello readers! New chapter is up! Autumn, thank you for reviewing, much much much appreciated! I had to get my footing with bringing in my OC, things are going to start picking up here, the plot is getting slower and the characters are blooming out more. On to the story!**

Chapter 5

Early the next morning, Mysia saw that Shane had shaved his head. She knew it was to hide the missing patch of hair. When Hershel's family asked them to help and attend the funeral services, they of course accepted. Mysia stepped outside with everyone, and waited until the last, Shane, to step in the door and blocked his path.

"I know why you shaved your head." She said, crossing her arms and jumping straight to the point. He glared down at her, waiting for her to continue. Or perhaps he didn't know what to say, she wasn't sure which. "I want you to know, that I'm not fooled. You're just a murderer."

"You're one to talk." Shane drawled out, grinning. "You murdered in cold blood to avenge a death. I did it to save Carl, you shoulda' figured that much out."

"You did it to save yourself. If you don't believe that then you are lying to yourself, and that makes you dangerous to yourself as well as others. At least I'm honest, I told everyone the truth straight off the bat. And I never lied to myself about it." Mysia turned to exit the house, satisfied that she had let the suspicion off her chest. But Shane had grabbed her wrist, preventing her from leaving.

"You need to understand that Carl would've died if I didn't get back." He said, gently.

"What's wrong with telling the truth? You're so big on being a leader, all great leaders are honest."

"All great leaders were assassinated." He answered, letting go of her wrist.

Mysia laughed. "You believe that they were murdered by their own people? Look we're getting off topic, just be honest with them."

"You don't understand. If I tell them the truth, they'll boot me out of here."

"It was that bad?" Mysia asked.

"I had to get out of there to bring the supplies back to Carl." He said desperately. Mysia back from him, fear beginning to grope her. He grabbed her wrist again and a serious look came over his face. "If you tell a soul about this, then you will see just how dangerous I can get." He snarled out. She knew that he said it to scare her into silence, but she also knew that he would follow through with his threat if he felt the need.

"Like I said, at least I'm honest. I won't give you the opportunity to 'take care' of me. When I feel it is necessary to reveal your immorality, I will. I'm not afraid of you, Shane." She jerked her wrist from his grasp and joined the others. As they worked, she would catch Shane watching her, as if planning his next move. Before she had the chance to confront him a second time, she heard the roar of the motorcycle before the vehicles. She smirked at Shane, who glared back.

When she got to the reunited group she gave everyone a hug, leaving Daryl last. He looked down at her, confused at her new approach. They went back and continued their work with piling the rocks. When they finished, Hershel read from the bible and prayed about how Otis died, saving two lives. "Shane, will you speak for Otis?" He asked, closing his book.

"I'm not good at it." Shane said, refusing.

Patricia wiped her nose and spoke up, her voice quivering. "You were the last one with him, will you share his final moments? Please, I want to know it wasn't in vain."

He glanced at Mysia, anger in his eyes as he silenced her with a look. Daryl glanced down at her, seeing that she was glaring at Shane with hatred. He began his story, making it sound like it was Otis' choice to stay behind.

"If not for Otis, I'd never make it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. Otis, he saved us both. And he did that for us." Mysia stood up straight, hearing the honest truth in the last part of his story. She glanced around, and saw that Dale was the only one who caught the difference. If Daryl noticed, he didn't show it. Shane placed a rock on the pile, and avoided eye contact with everyone as he stood back from the grave.

Rick, Hershel, Daryl, Shane, Steve, Andrea, and Mysia stood around the hood of a truck as Maggie brought them a map of the area. They made a plan, Hershel making it clear for Rick that he couldn't go too far from his son's side quite yet, and Shane's leg injury wasn't up for the search.

"Guess it's jus' me then." Daryl said. "I'll start from the creek, work my way back." "That's not true, I could drive up the highway, see if she's returned." Shane said. "Mysia can accompany, a lady's touch for the scared li'l girl would help out."

"Then in that case, her mother can accompany you." Mysia said. "Or Andrea, I have my own plan."

"And what's that?" Shane asked.

"Anywhere away from you." Mysia bit back, taking Daryl's hand and leaving. Before she had turned away, she saw Steve shoot her a disapproving glare. As they walked away, she heard Rick ask Shane what the hell was meant by her words. To which he shrugged off.

"Wha' was that about?" Daryl asked her when they had distance.

"I'll tell you while we're looking for Sophia." She answered.

"There is no we." He said, grabbing more bolts from his tent.

"Why not?" Mysia asked.

"Too dangerous."

"Don't give me that shit Daryl." Mysia sighed as she grabbed her own quiver and crossbow from her tent. She tucked her gun in the back of her jeans. "I sort of need to stay in the safety of your presence." She mumbled.

"Are ya gonna tell me wha' the hell yer talkin' abou'?" He asked, anger lacing his words.

"I want to, but you have to swear you'll take me to search for the girl."

"Le's go then." Daryl growled. Mysia smiled and followed him.

"You two okay on your own?" Rick called out to them.

"We'll be fine, be back before dark." Daryl answered. When they were in the woods, close to the creek Daryl pinned Mysia against a tree. "We ain' movin' from here 'til ya tell me wha' tha' was."

"Shane came back without Otis, I noticed that he had a bald spot." Mysia began.

"Tha' explains his shaved head." Daryl said, still not letting her away from the tree.

"This morning, I confronted him. Told him I wasn't fooled with his story. Then he pointed out that he had an excuse to do it, compared to mine. And he told me that if I told a soul, he would show me just how dangerous he is."

"So now ya have a death wish." Daryl nodded and avoided her eyes, biting his lip.

"As long as I'm with you or one of the others, I'll be okay." She answered softly.

Daryl shook his head and pushed his lips to hers in a heated kiss. She complied, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He then pushed her from him at arms length. "No more antagonizing people that would kill you." He said to her. She nodded and he let her go. They went into the house, crossbows readied. They went through the rooms, side by side, searching for signs of the girl. "My." Daryl spoke, making her jump slightly before turning her attention to the can in his hand.

"Sardines, fresh." Mysia whispered. Daryl smelled it and nodded. Scratching was heard in a broom cupboard nearby. Daryl put the can back in the bin and the pair approached the doors with their weapons aimed. Daryl opened the door, but there was only a pillow and blanket inside. "She was here."

"We can't be a' hundred percent sure. But it looks like someone small was stayin' here."

Before going back into the forest, Daryl picked a white flower from the bush.

"What's with the flower?" Mysia asked.

"Cherokee rose. Story is, when American soldiers were movin Indians off their land, the trail of tears. The mothers were grievin for the children tha' were lost along the way. Illnesses, starvation. So the elders sent a prayer to give them high spirits, signs, hope. The next day, the roses were bloomin'. I'm not foolish enough to believe these are growing for my brother, but I believe they're bloomin for Sophia." Daryl explained.

"So you're going to give that rose to Carol, give her hope for her daughter?" Mysia asked. He only nodded. "It's a great idea. I think it will work. It's very thoughtful of you, Daryl." When they returned to the farm, Mysia left Daryl to give the flower to Carol while she went to her tent.

"Mysia." Steve grunted before she expired into her tent. She paused, turning to face him with a guilty smile. "You confronted him." It wasn't a question.

"Yes." She answered. He huffed. "Well I couldn't help it. I'm all about confrontation and honesty."

"Running from the law is honesty?"

"That's different. If I turned myself in I would have been locked up, the court system wouldn't care about my reasoning."

"You can't just murder a man with no consequences. And now you have to watch out for Shane. He is capable of killing you." He whispered the last sentence angrily.

"Then I will have to watch my back." She shrugged.

"I'll help Daryl watch your back." Steve sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm assuming you told him?" She nodded, bringing out her gun and checking her bullets.

"Hey Mysia." Dale called from on top of the RV. Steve and Mysia both looked up, not expecting anyone to have heard their conversation. "Oh don't worry guys, I won't say a word. I'll help watch your back too. But you have to turn in your gun to Shane, Hershel has a rule to keep them off his land."

"What about Rick, can't I give it back to him?"

"No, he's out."

"Here." Steve said, holding out his hand. "I'll run it to him." She nodded and handed him her gun just as Daryl strolled up.

"Wha's goin on?" Daryl asked.

"Hershel doesn't want guns on his land." She explained.

"Ya bringin tha' to Shane?" Daryl asked Steve, who nodded. "Le' me take it to him." Steve and Mysia followed him as he headed towards Shane, but when he saw Mysia following he gently pushed her in the direction of her tent. She complied without arguing and went into her tent, dressing into her night clothes.

Daryl handed Shane the guns. "Ya so much as look at My the wrong way again, I'll kill you." Was all he said before leaving Steve to hand in his own gun.

"What the hell was that about?" Shane asked Steve, putting the guns into the duffel bag.

"I don't know." Steve shrugged. "He mentioned something about the two of us glaring at her, he gave me the same warning." Shane seemed satisfied with Steve's quick thinking lie. When Daryl got back to the tents he went into hers instead of his own, and she lifted her blanket allowing him to slip under.


	7. Author's Note

Authors Note,

I have realized that I have not put in a disclaimer! I am in the process of reading stories that don't have it so I totally forgot. This chapter is a disclaimer for all the previous chapters. The future chapters will include it! I am sorry for the inconvenience of this terrible mistake. I do not own The Walking Dead or anything in it! Only Mysia.


	8. Chapter 6

**My lovely readers! Thank you for sticking around. I am beginning to get my skeels back, I can feel it. It's dificult for me to write in third person because I don't know how much detail is needed. I'm getting the hang of it now though. The future chapters will be improved!**

***Disclaimer, I do not own The Walking Dead or anything in it! I only own Mysia.**

Chapter 6

When Mysia woke the next morning, Daryl was already gone. She sighed and stretched fully before changing into her black shorts and grey tank top. When she left her tent, she found Carol waiting. Lori had also awoken and left her tent. "I was thinking, we could offer to cook Hershel and his family a nice dinner. It's been a long time since I cooked in a kitchen."

"Why?" Lori asked, they all knew that they weren't running out of their own food supply.

"Just trying to look for things to keep my mind occupied." Carol answered.

"While making them a great dinner may sound like a nice idea, I really think you should be out there looking for your daughter." Mysia said. Carol's eyes widened and she let out a sob before walking away.

"Was that really necessary?" Lori asked, turning on the woman.

"I don't know why nobody else hasn't said it yet. It's her daughter, Lori. Why isn't she out there looking? If it were my child-"

"You wouldn't know." Lori snapped. "You don't have a child."

"Touche, but you can't possibly tell me that you wouldn't be out there looking if it were Carl." Mysia snapped back before walking away. The audacity of the woman thinking that she wouldn't know what she would do angered her. Mysia was a woman with high maternal instincts. She was the eldest of nine children, and because of that her parents had forced her to stay home with her siblings while they worked. She never got the chance to graduate from high school, or even to go to college. When she was in middle school, she was on the honor roll and it had carried out into her freshman year of high school. However, so many absences will tear you out of that program within a blink of an eye. Her school never understood her and why she had no choice but to stay home with her siblings. She vowed after so many children she grew up with that she would never become a mother. That is, until the day that her youngest sister called her mama before her own mother. Her heart melted and she decided that she would only have one child. She wanted to feel the joy of motherhood again.

After breakfast, the group planned their day of searching for Sophia. Their conversation went off track, and Daryl claimed to have seen a Chupacabra once.

"Man, you really believe you seen a Chupacabra?" T-Dog laughed out. "Those things ain't real."

"How woul' you know?" Daryl asked, getting annoyed.

"Daryl, it's a myth. Maybe you thought you saw it?" Dale asked. She could tell that he was trying to be nice about it and hide his humor.

"Why the hell not? The dead are walking the Earth, so stranger things shouldn' be so hard to believe." He said, before walking off with his crossbow.

"He has a point." Mysia said, before running to catch up with the hunter.

"Ya ain' comin this time. Shane's goin with Rick. You'll be safe here." Daryl said, turning to face her.

"I just wanted to say goodbye, and have a safe search." Mysia lied.

"Yer a terrible liar." Answered Daryl, before leaning to kiss her.

"No, you're just the only one who can tell." She smiled. He grinned and gave her a quick kiss. "I will go do our laundry." She called out as she walked away. He gave her a curt nod, then she went back to camp to gather hers and Daryl's clothes.

"Uh, Mysia?" Lori called.

Mysia exited Daryl's tent, arms full of clothes. "If you're here to lecture me, please go away." She said.

"Actually, I'm here to apologize." Lori replied, stopping Mysia in her tracks. "You're right, if it was Carl I'd be out there. Rick would probably be having to drag me back when it got close to dark."

"No. I think Rick would actually be by your side on that one. We would all have to drag you both back." Mysia half joked. Lori laughed to the large tubs to begin washing the clothes.

~~~Daryl~~~

He rode through the words on horseback, keeping his eyes out for signs of the girl. He stopped at a ridge and looked down to the riverbank. Seeing a body in the mud, fear gripped his heart. He dismounted the horse and approached it finding a doll and some clothes.

"Sophia!" He yelled out. When he got no answer, he mounted the horse. Shortly after moving on, the horse was spooked by a snake and threw him off. He rolled and tumbled down the steep hill, impaling himself with an arrow on his way down. He lied in the riverbank, bleeding. He swore as he got to his feet, then tied off his middle the best he could to slow the blood flow. He limped slowly back to the shore and fell, passing out in the cold mud.

~~~Greene Farm~~~

As Lori and Mysia washed the laundry, Glenn headed to them. "He looks as though he is panicked." Mysia pointed out.

"Excuse me." Lori said, meeting him. Mysia watched as he whispered something to her, causing her to bring her finger to her lips and look frantically around. The two had a quick, panic looked conversation before Glenn nodded. His face showed discomfort and trouble as he walked away. As Lori turned back to continue her chore, Rick pulled her aside.

"She sure is famous today." Mysia mumbled before bringing her attention back to her work.

"Well." Lori breathed out as she sat and continued washing.

"Looks like you're quite popular today." Mysia said. "Or is something going on?"

"It's perfectly normal to speak with my husband." Lori said.

"I was meaning Glenn. I'm sure the look on his face tells me that conversation wasn't normal." Mysia grinned. Lori glanced at her, her eyes begging not to ask. "It's alright, Lori. It's not my business. But just know that you can talk to me when you need someone that can keep a secret." Mysia grinned again, and gathered her laundry to hang.

"Thank you." She heard the woman as she went to the lines.

~~~Daryl~~~

"Yer gonna die out here li'l brotha." Merle said. "An' fer what? A li'l girl? Yer risking yer life for a girl an' not yer own brotha?"

"I went back for you. Ya weren' there." Daryl mumbled. "We all did."

"One of these days, they gonna scrape you off their heels like you was dog shit." Merle continued. "They ain' yer kin, ain' nobody gonna care abou' you except me. Tha' pretty li'l pussy ya got back at camp, she only feelin' sorry fer ya."

"Shuddup Merle." Daryl said angrily. Merle only laughed before disappearing. Daryl woke, finding a walker trying to eat his leg. He quickly stabbed it through the eye with a piece of wood, groaning when he saw another one stumbling his way. He ripped the arrow from his side, loading his crossbow, and shot the walker in it's head. He ate a squirrel raw, then made a necklace out of the walkers ears.

As he made his way back to the farm, Merle reappeared. "Ya gonna go back to tha' bitch o' yers? Ya think any of them care abou' ya li'l brotha?" He asked.

"Yer not real." Daryl mumbled as he continued to climb.

"I'm as real as yer Chupacabra!" He yelled laughing.

Finally, Daryl made it to the top of the ridge. He looked around for his brother. "Yeah ya better run!" He yelled out, relieved when he didn't find him.

~~~Greene Farm~~~

Mysia was doing her best not to laugh at Dale's reaction when Glenn told him that he slept with the farmers daughter. "What were you thinking?" Dale asked, horrified.

"I was thinking that I might be dead tomorrow." Glenn answered.

"Walker!" Andrea yelled, taking aim with her gun.

"It's just one, let of the guys get it. We don't need to waste bullets." Dale said as he and Mysia looked in the direction she was pointing her gun.

"Why? I can pull my weight around here! I can get it." Andrea bit.

"Wait, Andrea I don't think that's a walker!" Mysia yelled. Watching the figure, she could see that it was slightly different than the walkers that haunted them.

"What are you talking about? It's a walker." She answered defiantly.

"No! Andrea it's-" Andrea shot her gun, bringing down the figure. "Daryl!" Mysia screamed as she ran full speed into the field. The blonde's face turned to horror, realizing what she had done. Mysia got to the hunter before anyone else, seeing him unconscious. "Oh my god." She choked out, sliding to the ground beside him. She checked him over and saw that the bullet had only grazed his head. Shane and Rick helped get Daryl inside the house and upstairs to a room where Hershel could help him. Everyone was shooed out of the room so Hershel could bandage him up without concerned friends hovering. Mysia stormed outside and punched Andrea in the face with all of her strength. Andrea fell back and held a hand over her face, waiting for the angry woman to continue. Mysia raised her fist to deal another punch, but Steve had arrived from his search and stopped her. "When we say don't shoot, the next time you don't listen, you're the one getting shot." She breathed out in a low tone. Without waiting for Andrea to say anything, she shoved Steve's arms off her and stormed back in the house and waited for the okay to enter the room. When she did, Daryl was awake.

"What happened out there?" Rick asked him.

"I found Sophia's doll in the creek bed." He started. "The horse threw me off, startled by a snake, and I stabbed myself with my own arrow on the way down the hill."

"I coulda' told you that." Hershel said. "You need to ask, because you didn't, you took Nelly. She spooks easy, and now I'm missing a horse." He then looked at Rick. "It's a wonder you people have survived this long."

"We can't keep going out there, not after this." Shane said. Rick left the room, ignoring Shane. Mysia sat on the edge of the bed as the others left.

"Who shot me?" Daryl grunted.

"Andrea." Mysia answered, looking over him with concern.

"I'm gonna kick tha' girls ass." He mumbled.

"No need. I already punched her."

"Ya did?" Mysia nodded. "Ya can' blame her too much though. I'm sure I looked like a walker."

"You did, but I punched her because we were all telling her not to shoot and to let the men get it with a quiet weapon. By the time I realized it was you, it was too late. If I'd only said it faster."

"My, she didn' kill me. No harm done, mostly." Mysia hugged Daryl gently, relieved that Andrea was a terrible shot.

~~~Later~~~

The survivors all sat at the table together, Daryl and Mysia still upstairs. Carol gently knocked on the door before entering. "I brought Daryl some dinner, may I have a word with him?" She asked. Mysia nodded and gave Daryl a quick kiss before joining the others. "I wanted to thank you. You did more for my little girl today than her daddy did his whole life." Carol began, setting Daryl's food on the bedside table. "The men downstairs, you're every bit as good as them. Every bit." Daryl didn't say a word, so Carol gave him a kiss on his forehead and left. Mysia was waiting silently outside the room with a plate of food in her hand. They ate in silence, then Mysia cuddled next to Daryl on the bed and they fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 7

**Hello lovely readers! Next chapter is up! Enjoy! And R&R please and thank you!**

**Dislaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.**

Chapter 7

The next day, Mysia left the sleeping hunter to help the others with the morning chores. The morning was quiet, everyone kept to themselves for each had something they were stressed about. Lori had given them all to do lists for the day, no one complained and they all got right to work. Personally, Mysia was content with the peace and quiet. It was the first time in a while that things didn't seem apocalyptic. As she was checking the food supply, she saw Andrea with a book in her hands. She inwardly rolled her eyes as she was approached by the blonde.

"You gonna kill me if I go up and apologize?" She asked, holding up the book.

"No." Mysia laughed, "I'm sorry for punching you. I was just so mad that you shot him." Andrea nodded, not knowing what else to say. There was an awkward silence before she left. Mysia watched her go into the house, then continued her work. She couldn't help but realize Glenn walking around the camp, his face full of concern and trouble.

"Hey Dale?" Mysia asked, approaching the old man. Steve looked up from the gun he was cleaning.

"What's on your mind Mysia?" Dale asked.

"Glenn seems to have a lot on his mind." She answered.

"Yeah I noticed that too. But, you know the thing about Glenn is that he breaks under pressure."

"Are you guys thinking what I think you're thinking?" Steve asked. "Just leave the poor kid alone."

"Well, he seems to be under a lot of pressure." Mysia grinned, ignoring Steve, getting Dale's hint. Then she called out. "Hey, Glenn!"

"What is it?" Glenn asked, sounding nervous.

"Well, that's what we wanted to ask you. You seem on edge." Dale said with genuine concern. Glenn wrung his hands, but looked away.

"Something seems to be really bothering you." Steve said, joining in after seeing how much of a nervous wreck the man was, and earned a grin from Mysia.

"Whatever it is Glenn, you can trust us." Mysia pushed. "You don't have to tell us what, but we can help the best we can."

"Well, people are asking me to keep their secrets." Glenn started. "And I suck at lying, I can't just push it to the back of my mind like they want me to."

"Are they big secrets?" Steve asked. Glenn nodded.

"Are they big, big secrets?" Mysia asked.

He nodded vigorously. "Huge."

"It's not fair of them to expect you to hold so much. Is it something the group should know?" Dale sympathized.

"There are walkers in the barn, and Lori is pregnant." Glenn spilled quickly. Then he looked around in shame and walked off, leaving the three with their mouths gaping.

"Walkers in the barn?" Mysia repeated slowly.

"That's what he said." Steve answered.

"But why gather them in the barns?" Mysia groaned and put her hands to her face, blowing out all her oxygen.

"I'm going to have a talk with Hershel." Dale said.

"I'm going to have a talk with Lori." Mysia said.

"You can't talk to Lori, her pregnancy isn't something she can hide for long." Steve said as they watched Dale walk off.

"I'm going to talk to her." Mysia said, walking around him. He let her go, shaking his head.

As the woman approached Lori, she was doubled over holding her stomach. "Are you alright?" She asked, holding out her hand.

"I'm fine, must be something I ate."

"We all eat the same thing."

"It could be a bug."

"Lori, I know you're pregnant." Mysia said, causing Lori to glare in Glenn's general direction. "You can't get mad at him. Truth be told, you picked the wrong candidate for a secret. He was a nervous wreck."

"Who else did he tell?"

"Dale and Steve." Lori rolled her eyes angrily. "Don't blame him, he told the three of us that wouldn't go off spreading the word."

"That's comforting." Lori sighed, running her hands through her hair. "I just, I don't know what to do."

"Do you think, it might be... You know."

"Might be?" Lori pushed, not getting Mysia's question.

"Are you concerned on who the child's father is?" Mysia mumbled at the ground. Lori was taken aback by her question, she had no idea others knew of her affair.

"How did you know about that?"

"Daryl and I hunted together, a lot. We, uh, well we seen you guys once."

"You haven't told anyone about that?" She asked angrily.

"Lori, it's your business. Daryl and I haven't said a word." Mysia said with her hands up defensively.

"I didn't know Rick was still alive, Shane told me he was dead." Lori said, anger in her voice. "But this baby, is Rick's. There is no doubt about that. Whether or not Shane got me pregnant, Rick is my husband. And it's his." She looked at the fields, her eyes going sad.

"But, you don't know if you want to have the baby." Mysia guessed. Lori nodded and looked back at her sadly.

"Would you want to raise a child in this world? I can't help but think, that this baby will never live a healthy normal life. If it even lives long enough to grow old."

"Whatever you decide, it's your choice. But I vote that you have the baby. Carl could use a sibling, it will keep him human. And as for the affair, I won't judge you. Had I been in your shoes, I'd probably have done the same thing." Mysia said before leaving Lori in her thoughts.

~~~Later~~~

Mysia sat with Dale, watching over the fields when Glenn and Maggie got back from their run. They quietly observed as Maggie stomped to Lori's tent and Glenn nervously waited. Dale and Mysia shared a knowing look when Maggie stomped to the house avoiding Glenn, and he continued to Lori's tent. When they heard a motor, they both turned to the road and saw Shane and Andrea driving up. One after the other, they got down from the RV. Carol ran to the pair, showering them with questions.

"No." Shane answered. "No sign of Sophia." Carol sobbed and retired into the RV. Seeing that Andrea went her own way as well, Mysia thought it would be best to check on Daryl so that she wouldn't be left alone with him. She knocked lightly on the door, waiting for Daryl's grunt before entering.

"How you feeling?" Mysia asked, softly closing the door. She gazed at him, the blanket covering his bottom half showing his bare chest. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized he was watching her, and she smiled making sure to keep eye contact.

"Like a prisoner, doc says I can' get up yet." Daryl said softly as she took the space he scooted from.

"You're hurt. Might as well humor us all and heal up a bit before straining yourself." Mysia whispered.

"I'll humor you for one more nigh' darlin'." Daryl replied, giving her a soft kiss. They cuddled without saying another word, enjoying each others silence.


	10. Chapter 8

**Hello my faithful readers! As I see the number of views slowly rising, my heart soars! I don't know why. I'm writing two novels and I'm hoping they get great reviews! It doesn't seem like I'm such a great writer at the moment, but that is why I'm taking a break from the books. It must be perfect! **

**I have been wondering about why the views on this story, there are more numbers on later chapters. I don't understand, it's odd to me. Really, is it because people like to skip chapters or what? I dunno! XD Anyways here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead!**

Chapter 8

The next day, the group sat and ate lunch at their camp. Daryl was finally allowed to leave the bed, after warning from Hershel that it was imperative to his injuries that he take it easy. Without warning, Glenn stood from his seat. "Um, guys, so... the barn is full of walkers." He stumbled out. Mysia watched everyone except Dale, Glenn, Daryl, and Steve panic. They all followed an angry Shane to the barn. He peeked into the barn and swore out loud.

"We need to leave, now." Shane half yelled.

"What about my baby?" Carol choked out.

"We're so close to finding her." Daryl said.

"She's probably dead!" Shane yelled. "Or far from here. If I saw a redneck with geek ears hanging from my neck, I would run the other way too." Daryl jumped at him, only to be held back by Rick and Mysia.

"Let me talk to Hershel." Rick said before they all walked away from the barn. Mysia followed Daryl as he went to grab his weapon from the bag, and headed to the stables.

"Where are you going Daryl?" Mysia asked, knowing full well the answer to his question. He just gave her a look before continuing on. "Daryl, you need to take it easy so your wounds can heal. You're not well enough to get back on a horse."

"Why do you care?" Daryl spit out, remembering the words from his brother. "Everyone gave up hope for tha' girl. I ain' gonna do the same."

"We can search for her. Stay here, I'll go and check your trail along with the one I set for myself."

"Nah, you stay here. How do I know ya'll ain' dickin' around instead of takin' the search seriously."

"Daryl, you know better than that." Mysia sighed.

"Do I? Git lost! I don' know why yer even still here!"

"I'm trying to help you from getting yourself killed!" Mysia yelled back.

"I can take care o' myself. You can leave me be!"

"No." Mysia stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. Daryl stepped close enough so he was in her face.

"I said git lost!" He yelled. Mysia blinked, feeling a little nervous. She backed away slowly and turned heel to leave. As she was leaving, she saw Carol walking in. "Good luck." Was all she said. She sat on the porch, trying to calm down from the adrenaline.

"My." Daryl said as he approached the porch a few minutes later. She looked at him, but turned back to her dirty nails, picking them with her pocket knife. "Mysia I'm sorry. I was pissed." She watched as he opened his mouth to say something else, and then as he closed it.

"Something else on your mind?" Mysia asked.

"Ya, but you wouldn' believe wha'."

"Why doubt telling me what you want to tell me? I can probably believe just about anything right now. You know, with all this going on." Mysia held her arm out, indicating the mess of the world. Daryl nodded, but before he was able to continue, Shane rushed to the porch with the bag of guns in hand. Daryl didn't hesitate to pull Mysia up and behind him. Others were gathering around, Steve making sure to stand by Daryl to be another unnesecary wall for Mysia. Shane ignored their obvious antics and handed each of them a gun, including Mysia.

"You gonna protect your own?" Asked Shane as he handed them out. "If we're going to stay here, we gotta take care of those walkers in the barn."

"If you do this, my father will force you to leave." Maggie said.

"No Shane, we have to stay." Carl said, stepping forward.

"No one's going anywhere." Shane comforted.

"This is not your decision." Lori growled, pulling Carl behind her.

"Ah hell." T-Dog said, turning everyones attention to Rick and Hershel leading walkers to the barn.

"What is this?" Shane yelled, running to them. The others followed, shocked at Shane's crazy behavior. "What the hell is this?"

"This is not what, it's who." Hershel said. "These are people, you don't kill the mentally challenged do you? These guys can be cured."

"People?" Shane yelled. "There is no cure! These guys are dead! Tell me, can a live person take a shot in the leg and keep walking?" He shot the walkers arm, it continued to try and get to Shane. He shot it in the chest. "Ruptured lung, why's it still coming?" He shot again. "That's the heart! Why's it still coming?"

"Shane, brother, stop this." Rick said.

Shane ignored him and took a shot. "All the vital organs! Why's it still coming!"

"Shane, this is enough!" Rick yelled.

"You're right, this is enough." Shane growled before shooting it in the head. "Enough! Searching for a girl that is dead! Enough! Sitting by while they corral the things!" Shane went to the door of the barn and looked back at the survivors. "If you want to survive, you gotta fight for it!" He broke open the door and backed up as the walkers swarmed out. Shane, Steve, Andrea, T-Dog, Glenn, Daryl, and Mysia opened fire as the walkers flooded from the barn. Rick still had ahold of a walker. When the barn had emptied, Shane shot the walker that Rick had, and he dropped the stick angrily. Hershel and his family were grieving after watching their family and neighbors die again.

Everyone was frozen, waiting for Shane to make his next crazy move. Steve and Daryl worked together on keeping an eye on him, making sure he didn't have a chance to turn on Mysia. Before long, a growl emmited from the barn, causing everyone to straighten up and watch. When the walker exited the barn, Carol screamed and ran to her, but was stopped by Daryl. Everyone watched, horror written on their faces as she slowly stepped closer throught the mess of bodies. Rick raised his gun, and shot Sophia in her head.


	11. Chapter 9

**Good news my wonderful readers! My muse has come back to me! I am much more satisfied with this chapter, as I am sure you all will be as well. Enjoy! Please Review! :D**

**Disclaimer, I do not own The Walking Dead. And Robert Kirkman is awesome.**

Chapter 9

Mysia watched in a daze as another walker attacked Beth, Andrea quickly taking action and putting her mother down for good. She took a step back and watched as Shane yelled at Hershel, claiming that he knew the whole time about the girl.

"No, Otis must've put her in there." Hershel said, shaking his head. Shane advanced on him, but was stopped by Maggie, who smacked him across the face. When he recovered, he turned his anger on Rick. Mysia held her head in her hands, unable to handle the present situation.

~~~Later~~~

"We gotta bury the loved ones." Mysia mumbled. "Where did Carol go?"

"She went to the RV." Andrea answered. Mysia, Daryl, and Lori went to the RV finding Carol staring off at nothing.

"Hey, Carol. Would you like to come with us to bury the others, and Sophia?" Mysia asked. Carol shook her head. "Carol, this is your daughter."

"That thing is not my daughter." She spat out. "My daughter died a long time ago." Mysia stepped forward, stopped by Daryl, who shook his head. She glared at the woman, who was looking elsewhere, and stormed out of the RV. Lori and Daryl followed her back to the barn. She helped dig the holes, stabbing at the ground with the shovel.

"Mysia why don't you take a break." Steve said, standing at her dig spot. She had gotten exceptionally further than the others, and her blisters were beginning to bleed.

"Don't want one." She said, continuing to dig and ignored the stinging pain in her hands.

"I really want to help out this family, and there is no other shovel for me to use." Steve said. Mysia sighed, knowing it was just an excuse, but handed him the shovel anyway. He helped her out of the hole, grabbing her by her wrist and pulled her out. She dusted her hands off on her jeans, cringing from the blisters. Daryl handed Glenn his shovel, and took Mysia's hand carefully, leading her back to camp.

"Le's get tha' taken care of." He said softly. He helped her wash the blisters clean, then apply the ointment that Hershel had given him. He then wrapped her hands with a light layer of the bandage wrap. When they finished helping burying the family, Daryl and Mysia went to a large tree trunk and sat down, sharing a bottle of whiskey.

"Are you alright?" Asked Mysia.

"Yer the one with mummy hands." He answered. "Are you alrigh'?"

"Yeah, they kind of burn but they'll heal." She answered. "But looking for Sophia, and this whole time she was in the barn. Are you okay?" Daryl shrugged and they sat in silence.

"Hey guys." Lori said as she walked to them with her hands in her pocket. "I was wondering if you could head to town and help Glenn and Rick. They haven't been back yet, and I'm getting worried."

"Then go get them yerself." Daryl said, giving Mysia a knowing look. "I'm done lookin fer people. I'm done carin'." Lori gave Mysia a pleading look, but shook her head when Daryl shot her a look. Lori sighed and stomped away, kicking up dirt as she went.

"I could go, Daryl." Mysia whispered.

"No, it's too dangerous." He mumbled. "Le's go huntin'."

"I will agree to that." Mysia smiled.

While they were hunting they listened intently to the sound of the quiet woods. Mysia felt a little uncomfortable, looking to Daryl she saw that he had also noticed the silence. There were fewer birds chirping from the last time that they hunted together. The further they went into the woods, the quieter it became until finally, there were no birds chirping. It even seemed as if there were no breeze in the trees. It was so silent, that you could hear a pin drop. Mysia strayed from Daryl, following the only sound of water. She gasped when she saw it. There was a beautiful pond with a small waterfall keeping it filled and clear with the bluest water she had seen. Even the trees and bushes around it were green and healthy. She turned her head to see that Daryl had caught up with her, an angry look on his face until he set eyes on the small waterfall. He smirked and set down his crossbow.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"It's time we had a nice bath." He answered, grinning at her reddening face as he unbuttoned his shirt. She turned away from him as he began to undo his belt, and didn't turn back until she heard him getting in the water. Watching him swim her face turned redder and she stared at the grime in her fingernails. "Don' be shy. The water is clean My, you should get in here."

"Okay, but turn around?" She requested. He scoffed before doing as she asked, allowing her to strip her clothing off. She waded into the water, staring at the muscles flexing in his back. She reached out and lightly grabbed his shoulder, letting him know that it was safe to face her. When he did turn, she gasped. His face looked like it was beginning to deteriorate. He grinned and edged closer to her. She was frozen in fear, not understanding why his face had such a dramatic change in just minutes. She choked out a small cry when he reached out to her.

"Wha's wrong darlin?" Ya act like ya never seen a naked man." He said, still smirking. She opened her mouth to answer, unable to get the words out she shook her head instead. He frowned a little, pulling his hand back. "Are ya sayin' yer a virgin?"

She shook her head.

"Then wha's the problem?"

"Y-your face." She whispered, horrified.

"Wha's wrong with my face?" He reached up and wiped his face, some of his skin sticking to his hand and peeling off. He looked down at it and his face turned to horror, matching her own. "Wha' the hell?"

"I-is it the water?" She stammered, beginning to panic. She looked down and watched as her skin peeled and was carried with the current of the water. Daryl watched her and grinned. Her eyes widened as he reached out for her again.

"Don' be shy woman, wha's the matter? Never seen two geeks hook up?" He asked, causing her to panic more in her confusion.

'Why is he so calm?' She thought as she shook with fear, feeling her skin peel off the more she shivered.

"My." Daryl said. She felt her body being shaken. "My, wake up darlin'."

She woke and sat up fast and breathing hard. When she felt hands on her arms, she shoved them off and spun to face a fully clothed, and confused non deteriorated face of Daryl. She looked down and seen that she was also clothed, her skin still intact. Looking around she realized that they were still by the large tree trunk. She sighed in relief and sat against the hunter, who stiffened.

"Ya alrigh'?" He asked.

"Yeah, I didn't even realize that I fell asleep. I had a terrible nightmare." She answered. He chuckled and held her close.

"Ya let dreams bother ya?" He asked with humor in his question.

"Not usually." She said. "I usually know I'm dreaming, not this one though. I had no idea."

"Ya still sound shaken up." He said. "Wha' was it about?" She told him, not leaving out a single detail, taking notice of his uncomfortable glances when she mentioned that they were not clothed in the pond. When she finished he nodded, looking off into the woods. "A nice soak sounds like a good idea righ' 'bout now."

"Very funny." She laughed, standing up and dusting herself off. They joined the others, Daryl sharpening bolts that he was making, and Mysia helped with cooking the meal for their camp. Every now and then they would steal glances at each other, both with different wonders in their minds.


End file.
